1 Thing To Watch For Every Eastern Conference Playoff Team

As the NBA’s regular season winds down, the playoff pictures for each conference are growing increasingly clear. Both the East and West’s top-eight seeds have separated themselves from the rest, even if the chaos of the Play-In Tournament looms for spots 7-10.

With seeds becoming firmer and firmer, it’s hard to glean too much from the final few weeks of the regular season, given teams are often prioritizing preparation for the imminent physical and schematic grind of the postseason. But there remain salient storylines to watch among all these playoff contenders.

So, the Sportscasting NBA crew has identified one angle to monitor for every top-eight seed. First up is the Eastern Conference. Let’s get to it.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Evan Mobley’s Spiking Usage

As the season progresses, the Cavs continue to lean into Evan Mobley as their offensive focal point. Across the entire season, Mobley ranks fourth in usage rate on the Cavs (22.8 percent), trailing Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Ty Jerome. His usage is climbing at the moment, though, up to a 24.7 percent five-game moving average.

Mitchell’s recent slump isn’t coming at an excellent time, but the Cavs have a second offensive ace to rely on. Mobley is bringing the ball up more than ever, running 14 pick-and-rolls over his past five games, according to Synergy. He’s become a battering ram to the rim, capable of driving through and around most defenders.

Over the last 10 games, Mobley has leapfrogged Mitchell in touches per game, now only behind Garland. The Cavs will prioritize Mitchell’s health leading into the playoffs. They’ll need him at top form, but it’s a luxury to have this version of Mobley. We saw glimpses of how effective a Mobley-led playoff offense can be during last year’s series against Boston. If that’s any indication, we should expect Mobley to carry a large offensive load in the postseason. -Ben Pfeifer

Boston Celtics: Will Their Ideal Starting Five Hit Its Stride Before The Playoffs?

Really, there’s not a ton to monitor on the court for these Celtics. At 54-19, they’re unofficially entrenched into the No. 2 seed out East, sitting 4.5 games back of top-seeded Cleveland and 8.5 games up on the No. 3 New York Knicks with nine games remaining.

But I am curious how much run, if any, their preferred starting unit of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis may see these next few weeks. Last year, that group played 1,293 possessions together during the regular season and Boston posted a net rating of plus-12.0 in that span.

This year — because of injuries and some inconsistent play from the likes of Brown and Holiday — the quintent’s only logged 680 possessions. The Celtics’ net rating is minus-1.5 across those possessions. Despite that being their most used lineup, they still tout a shiny plus-9.7 net rating overall. That seems rare for a team as great as Boston is!

Ultimately, it might not matter much, if at all, for the hopes of a repeat championship. Porzingis hardly played last postseason and the Celtics still cruised to a title; that lineup is not the only path to the mountaintop. Plus, 680 possessions are frankly not enough to be predictive of anything definitive regarding the viability of this lineup.

It is, nonetheless, an interesting stat and I wonder whether we’ll see any more reps for those five players together to shift it either way before their title defense intensifies. -Jackson Frank

New York Knicks: Can Mitchell Robinson Return To His Pre-Injury Form of 2023-24?

With Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks have one of the best starting fives in basketball. The problem is they don’t have much after that.

Deuce McBride continues to be a great two-way guard, but he’s just one man. Precious Achiuwa has performed valiantly since being traded from the Toronto Raptors. But at 6 feet 8 inches, he’s undersized against certain matchups and tanks the offense whenever he’s on the floor (10th percentile offensive rating on/off, per Cleaning the Glass).

If only the Knicks had a starting-caliber player on their bench who they could count on for 15-20 minutes a night. What a luxury that would be.

But wait, they do! Or, at least, they did. Mitchell Robinson stormed into 2023-24 playing some of the best basketball of his career before a series of afflictions turned him into a mainstay on the team injury report.

Now, Robinson seems to be healthy, playing in 10 of the Knicks’ last 13 games. But is he really back?

That’s the million dollar question for the Knicks as they enter their last leg of the regular season. If Robinson can provide high-level bench impact, it makes them all the more dangerous in the postseason. These final few weeks will prove crucial in determining that. -Mat Issa

Indiana Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton’s Magical Playmaking Run

Tyrese Haliburton is putting his early season struggles in the rearview, playing closer to the best version of himself down the stretch. He’s passing the ball like few players in NBA history ever have. Haliburton has dished out 10 or more assists in each of his last 12 games with an absolutely absurd assist-to-turnover ratio of 11.6.

Across those 12 games, he totaled 151 assists and 13 turnovers. His passing volume, accuracy and degree of difficulty are all stupendous and help the Pacers generate easy looks all game long. Even without pick-and-roll reps, Haliburton relentlessly hunts great shots, processing the floor at lightning speed on and off of the ball.

His raw assist numbers are slightly down this season, likely due to his on-ball rate (34 percent) sitting at its lowest since his rookie season. According to NBA RAPM, Haliburton’s 6.6 percent bad pass rate is the lowest of his career. He’s easily the most efficient passer in the NBA this season. Despite ranking fourth in potential assists per 100 possessions (22.2), Haliburton’s bad pass rate is the lowest among 40 players averaging at least 15 potential assists per 100 possessions with 1,000 or more total minutes.

Critically, his scoring has rebounded closer to last year’s levels, with his efficiency and volume just below the numbers of 2023-24. The Pacers will need the best version of Haliburton to reach the Eastern Conference Finals again. If he’s playing like this, they’ll have a fighting chance against anyone. -Ben Pfeifer

Detroit Pistons: Jalen Duren, Anchoring It All

The Pistons are well on their way to one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in NBA history. They’re just a win away from tripling last season’s win total and are nearly locked into a top-six seed, currently sitting fifth at 41-32. How the seeding shakes out among them, the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks — just two games separate fourth through sixth — over the final few weeks will certainly be key to watch down the stretch.

But there’s no doubt postseason basketball is in their immediate future. This young team has boatloads of playoff-related questions headed their way. How will Cade Cunningham’s game translate to the slower, methodical style of postseason basketball? Which of their eccentric role players will step up in key moments? Can defensive ace and transition dynamo Ausar Thompson do enough offensively, despite being a non-shooting wing, to stay on the floor?

All that said, the play of big man Jalen Duren, specifically on defense, will be the Piston’s biggest X-factor heading into the playoffs. To start 2025, the 21-year-old center is enjoying the best stretch of his NBA career, averaging 13.3 points on 70 percent shooting from the field while nabbing 11 rebounds since Jan. 1.

Defensively, he’s averaging roughly two combined steals and blocks stocks per game. He’s been positionally sound as of late, especially in the pick-and-roll, allowing 0.966 points per possession when guarding the roll man, per Synergy.

The foundation of any good playoff defense is how well it defends the paint. The Pistons have done that this season. They’re fourth in opponents’ points in the paint and sixth in opponents’ shot attempts within 5 feet of the basket. Duren has been a big part of those efforts.

He needs to continue building on that over the next three weeks and help Detroit maintain its imposing defensive presence inside. -Es Baraheni

Milwaukee Bucks: Did The Bucks Find A Hidden Gem In Ryan Rollins?

After the devastating news about Damian Lillard’s blood clot in his right calf, the Bucks’ immediate title odds have faded fast. While no one in the organization will admit it, the focus now is to figure out how they can extend their championship window during the Giannis Antetokounmpo/Lillard era.

One player whose emergence would make this undertaking far more feasible is Ryan Rollins. After struggling to find his NBA footing through his first few years, the 44th overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft has carved out a role in Milwaukee (earning himself a standard contract earlier this month).

Rollins has been one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, placing in the 95th percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus and 92nd percentile in steal rate (per Dunks & Threes). His blend of speed, size (6-foot-9 wingspan) and quick reflexes makes him a pest at the point-of-attack.

Offensively, he’s a swift ball mover with clean shooting mechanics – keeping his shot quick and compact, and hardly ever dipping the ball when he shoots it off the catch. His 3-point percentage (34.5) isn’t all that impressive, but his free-throw shooting (86.7 percent) makes me believe he will become a credible spacer in this league.

With Lillard out, Rollins has had the chance to play more (25.2 MPG over the team’s last three games), and this will likely continue for the remainder of the season. If he can rise to the occasion, the Bucks could exceed their new, amended expectations for the rest of the year. More importantly, they will be a more complete team whenever Lillard returns. -Mat Issa

Atlanta Hawks: Zaccharie Risacher’s Development

The Hawks have been playing great basketball lately, winning seven of their last 11 games and climbing to seventh in the Eastern Conference at 35-37. This gives them a stronghold over the rest of the Play-In Tournament in a couple of weeks.

How that Tournament goes likely depends on the degree to which Trae Young’s scoring and playmaking brilliance can elevate a young and feisty Hawks team in single-elimination basketball. It’s unlikely, though, that even with Atlanta playing well as of late, it’ll provide any actual level of scare to the East’s top dogs during a playoff series.

But there’s always room for growth. For Atlanta, that’ll come with the much-improved play of No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher. The French rookie has turned the corner since the flip of the calendar, averaging 13.6 points on 50-40-77 shooting splits in 32 games in 2025. He’s become a more well-rounded scorer and his versatility — operating as a screener and ball-handler — makes him a wholly unique player to watch develop.

Zaccharie Risacher's scoring efficiency since Jan. 1st, via @cleantheglass:

All Three – 42%, 59/142
Non Corner Three – 37%, 30/81
Corner Three – 48%, 29/61
All Mid Range – 49%, 35/72
Long Mid – 46%, 6/13
Short Mid – 49%, 29/59
Rim – 62%, 63/101 pic.twitter.com/K6fV7suG1d

— Alex (@AlexHoops_) March 24, 2025

Risacher still needs to fill out and become stronger, but there are clear signs he will eventually become a two-way stud on a Hawks team prioritizing players like that. Any taste of postseason basketball will only help further his development. -Es Baraheni

Orlando Magic: Can Franz Wagner Rediscover His Mojo Alongside A Surging Paolo Banchero?

The 2024-25 season has been a bumpy, injury-filled campaign for the Magic, with substantial injuries to basically all of their top players. That’s unfortunately put a damper on much of their season and prevented them from building upon 2023-24, when they won 48 games, earned the East’s No. 5 seed and pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round.

Despite these hiccups, the play of their young stars (when healthy), Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, have been radiant bright spots. After a slow start in his return from a torn oblique, Banchero has been dominant since the All-Star Break, averaging 29.7 points (60 percent true shooting), 7.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 17 games following the wintertime sabbatical.

The 22-year-old appears rejuvenated physically, attacking the rim more often (and seeking increased contact), finishing better, shooting better from 3 and drawing more fouls than the initial 17 games he played once returning from injury earlier this year.

But recently, his co-star, Wagner, hasn’t matched that production and struggled to maintain the All-NBA-level play he’s shown for extended stretches. Over the past three weeks (10 games), he’s averaging 21.5 points (51.5 percent true shooting) while converting just 22.7 percent of his threes and 49.3 percent of his twos.

Orlando’s long-term ceiling will largely be defined by Banchero and Wagner’s development. Both have been dominant at times this year, yet rarely have those outings harmonized across lengthy periods together. Spotty (and often poor) guard and center play certainly don’t help maximize either young wing.

But the Magic’s outlook down the line would be a little rosier if Wagner could close this season well. They’ll hope he can better resemble the effervescent forward who averaged 27-6-5 on 57 percent true shooting in 35 games between early November and early March to complement Banchero’s burgeoning superstardom. -Jackson Frank